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tigger: Amitriptyline withdrawal hell


tigger

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Hi to all.

I am so relieved to find this site. I think I have just put myself in to a toal horror story.

I have been taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. I was also taking ophenadrine 100mg twice a day for back pain whilst in the middle east but on return to UK i quit the ophenadrine  and replaced with cannabis with no problems at all. have since cut right back on this and only have it when my pain is really bad.

I also cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease and just been diagnosed peri menopause, low ferritin and currently having tests for low bit B12 due to symptoms I've been having.

Anyway long story short I am starting to  feel like I rattle when I all due to all the meds and vitamins i take so so 12 days ago I decided to quit the Amityptilne as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore. 

I was fine for the first week then began to have what I have now read is most likely withdrawal symptoms. Then three days ago BANG hit me like a ton of bricks. tinnitus like i never had before.vertigo,nausea,huge panic attacks,limbs feel like lead to name but a few things. I rang my gp as i was terrified and literally can not get out of bed. He has told me to go back on the meds and ring him in 3 days if i don't feel better. He said if i want to come off them to do it slower like 1/2 my dose every 2 weeks . I am terrified i have done permeant damage to my brain! I don't want to go back on the meds but feel I have no choice so can here hopefully for reassurance that going back on the meds will make these symptoms subside. I have found the site road to recovery which says reduce by 10 percent very very slowly but also wants to sell you lots of supplements. has anyone tried this? Any advice etc would be much appreciated .

Thanks for listening

Tigger x

Edited by scallywag
tags added

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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welcome 'tigger' .someone will be along to assist you soon.In the meantime i wish you well

Sertraline 100mg amytrip 60mg diazepam 4mg (and when needed) since late 90's.Reduced all meds over 6 wks (too short) last doses 13 wks ago.Still having withdrawals.I would have done it differently

5th august 2015 reinstated 5mg amytripiline.increased to 10mg amtrip 9th sept 2015.

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  • Moderator

Hi tigger-- welcome to the group.  I sorry to hear that your having such a bad time. Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant and as such needs to be tapered slowly to come off of safely.  Your doctor is right abut going back on the drug, and the sooner the better.  He is however wrong about how to come off of it.  He wants you taper way too fast.

 

Tips for tapering off amitriptyline

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

If you would please put your history in a  signature block it would really help us to help you.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Thank you so much silverstar for your replies and the info. I will take some time to look through it all.

I think i have managed a signature (bit of a techno phobe so hope its ok?!)

Not sure how much med to take as I want to take the min I can get away with so i am about to read one of your links right now.

Thank you again for replying. i am so grateful and don't feel quite so alone here in the dark now x

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • Moderator

Hi Tigger--  you've only been off for a short time, I would start with a reinstatement of 5 to 6 mgs or about half of what you were taking.  Take it at the same time every day and give it a couple of weeks to see how it goes, unless things immediately get really bad, then stop taking it.  I agree, taking the minimum amount to make things better is the best approach.

 

BTW our screen names appear in the gray line above each post.  I'm Brassmonkey.  SilverStar just means I've posted a lot.  But it's still a cool screen name.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • Administrator

Welcome, tigger.
 
Yes, reinstating will probably resolve your withdrawal symptoms. A half-dose might do it, as brassmonkey suggested. Then you have less to taper later.
 
I think you might be referring to one of these sites:

Truehope, The Road Back, LabelMeSane

 

Good to hear they've "borrowed" the 10% suggestion.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hi and sorry Brassmonkey :blush: like i say I'm not so good with these things.

well i have taken 5mg for the last 2 nights and today late morning i thought i felt a slight bit of normality. decided to get out of bed and wash and brush my teeth. was all looking good for an hour and i was so relieved that maybe i was going to be ok. then about 2 hours later the symptoms suddenly wacked me again. The head ones very much worse and had strange muscle twitches in my legs and feet too! Am home alone as my son is working and wanted to call an ambulance but didn't think i could get downstairs by myself. soooooo frightened i was going to die. The symptoms have eased slightly now and a bit more like there were before so I'm trying to convince myself I'm going to b ok. I don't know if i can wait it out another 2 days. I'm now thinking just take the full 10mg tablet I've got and make it all better but then if I do will I make things worse?! I know it sounds so dramatic but i really don't know how anyone can get through this.... I am so frightened by what is happening i can't think straight. 

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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Hi

Altostrata yes that was the site. I didn't but the supplements but i did start the omega 3 figured it couldn't hurt. Also have biotin and milk thistle. x

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • Moderator

Hi Tigger-- you had an hours long window, that's a great thing.  It is so frustrating when the windows come slamming shut, but they do reopen and for longer and longer times.  The first  windows I really noticed lasted about fifteen minutes and left me thinking "what just happened, that was great".  Remembering that feeling helped keep me going until the next one happened, and then on and on.  You've only been on this does for a couple of days, give it some time to work.

 

(((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Omg i think I may have done something really bad. My brother was here last night and talked my already wondering brain around that taking the 10mg was a good idea. He said if the doctor said go back onto that dose he has said it for a reason.(I didn't see your post already, I think as we are in different time zones and we are online hours apart)The logic being that my body need it to get back to where it was. I took it and felt fine even felt sleepy and pretty calm and not so many symptoms a couple of hours later. I felt like I had done the right thing. Came to bed put on my hypno tape and fell asleep. Then omg I woke an hour later full on soaked in sweat and all my symptoms raging. I changed clothes and and went through the same process again to try to stay calm. I have dosed over but every hour had to go through the same ordeal. My heart has been racing which was the one symptom I didn't have before. It is now 4.30am and I am still here in the same boat. I am so afraid I can't tell you I think it is worse because it is the middle of the night?! Do you think it will pass? It is Saturday now so I can't call my gp practice until Monday as they close over the weekend. I don't want to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night like a crazy person. I do have propranolol in the house which I used to take before my graves meds stabilised me but I am unsure as to weather to take it to slow down my heart rate because I don't want to make things worse So I haven't taken any... I am drinking rehydration packets to try and replace my fluids. Thank you for the hugs much needed right now

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • Moderator

Biggest thing is to not panic.

 

The large dose was a shock to your system and it is going to need some time to settle down.  While that is happening your body is going to do some really strange/scary uncomfortable things.  It will settle down, but it is going to take a little time.  

 

If you can get any sleep that will really help, but don't be surprised if you wake up in a panic, which will pass.  Find anything you can do to try and take your mind off of how your feeling, watch tv, house work, go for a walk.

 

DO NOT take any other drugs, alcohol or the like. They will just make things worse. And for the time being don't take anymore amitriptyline.

 

If you go to the ER all they will do is give you more drugs which will just compound the problem so only do that as a last resort.

 

You're going to be alright.  ((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Are you still there? I won't take any other meds. Should I take the smaller dose amiltriptyline this evening before bed do you think ? I don't want it to get worse if I don't take any at all.... My brain feels so strange squeezing juddering zapping and ringing in there. It is hard to explain. Then keeps feeling like it is about to shut down kinda like falling! I need it to stop so bad. I wish I could sleep just for a few minutes rest from it. I am trying to stay calm but finding it really really difficult. Please tell me no one ever died from this did they? I know I sound crazy I can only ask you because your so far away and it sounds like you actually know what is happening to me somewhat. I'm too afraid that I'm going to die or have perminate brain damage. Am I sounding hysterical I think I am. I'm sorry I'm just so frightened...

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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Hi Tigger

 

I can't advise about what you should or shouldn't do but I wanted to say that you are in my thoughts. I know it can be very scary, but try and hang in there as panicking can often make things harder. I know, easier said than done.

 

*hugs*

All medications::

Xanax (1995-96), Aropax (1995-96), Mellaril (1997-2000), Efexor (1997-2002), Seroquel (2000-now), Lithium Carbonate (2000-now), Avanza (2002-05), Epilim (2005), Seroquel-XR (2000-now), Zyprexa (2002-14), Raberprazole (2000-now prn), Crestor (2009-15), Gabapentin (2009-12), Lamictal (2010-now), Abilify (2011-now) Lyrica (2012-now), Diazepam (2010-now prn), Saphris (2014), Respiridone (2014), Chlorpromazine (2014) Neulatil (07/2016)

 

Current medications:

Lithium Carbonate 750mg; Seroquel-XR 600mg800mg 04/16, 600mg 04/16, 400mg 04/16, 200mg 04/16, 400mg 04/16, 500mg 04/16; Lamictal 250mg 200mg150mg 04/16; Lyrica 300mg; Abilify 20mg 30mg 11/15 Zoloft 25mg 04/16 ceased after a week due to severe suicidal thoughts; Seroquel 25mg prn; Diazepam 40mg CT Jan 2013, 5mg occasionally, (massive med changes in April 2016 due to a hospital admission).

 

SupplementsFish oil 4000mgMagnesium 100mg Niacinamide 1000mgSlippery Elm 800mg , B12 1000mcg, Zinc 50mg, B6 100mg, Vitamin D 2000IU, Calcium 1200mgP5P 100mg, Vitamin C 2000mg, Vitamin E 400IU

 

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  • Moderator

Good morning Tigger (well it's morning for me).  

 

No you're not going to die from this and you won't have permanent brain damage.

 

DO NOT take any more amiltriptyline, that would only be adding fuel to the fire.  You are having an adverse reaction to the med so we have to remove the cause and let your body recover.  Then, we might try a little tiny amount to take the edge off of the symptoms.  But lets get you stable first.

 

You are not sounding hysterical, in fact you sound pretty well controlled.  You've experienced a lot of really scary symptoms in the last day, and have made it through them all.    So the next time one of those symptoms shows up you will be familiar with it and it won't be as scary.  One minute, one symptom at a time, don't panic and you'll get through this.

 

Some deep breathing exercises should help take the edge off too.  Breath deeply through your nose, all the way in.  Gently hold for the count of 3, and exhale all of it through your mouth.  Do it four or five times the sink back in the chair and let everything drop away.  Repeat as needed.

 

((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))))

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • Administrator

Tigger, if I were you, I'd go back to a half-dose (6.25mg) of amitriptyline. It sounds like 10mg is too much for you.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hey Tigger,

 

Hope you stabilize soon!

Tgirl

April 2014 remeron 45mg.

June 2014 abilify 2.5 remeron wasn't working so abilify was then added

September 2014 woke up with anxiety x 100!!!!

Pdoc then took me from 45 to 7.5 within a month and took abilify from 2.5 to 0

Currently

Remeron 7.5

Vitamin d 5,000 iu taking for about 3 years

October 2014 added fish oil/omega 3 1000 mg per day

Levothyroxitine 100 10 years or so

Dec 2014 started tapering 10% every 10 days-no problems.

August 2015 down to 0.1 mg

Woke up with severe anxiety-sleep issues-racing thoughts-depression. 9/9/15 up dose 1 mg.

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Hi Brassmonkey,tgirl and Alto

Sorry that I couldn't reply sooner.

Things went from bad to very much worse very quickly. The brain zaps and judders were horrific my speech became very slurred . I began to get twitches in my legs which soon became all over and It appeared to my brother that I was fitting so he call the medics and I ended up in ER. 

They gave me diazepam and something else and the weekend was pretty much one long nightmare of terror.

Long story short they said they think I have a very bad case of discontinuation syndrome from stopping the Amitriptyline suddenly. It is apparently unusual  for someone on such a low dose but that some people are more sensitive to the discontinuation that others. However they also suspect that because I discontinued at such a low dose that there could be other issues such as low cortisol or adrenal fatigue and i am waiting on results from 48 hour urine samples and bloods.

I refused to take the diazepam prescription when i was released as I am no way putting any more addictive or dangerous drugs into my system.

I have however agreed to stay on the 10mg Amitriptyline as I was afraid to stop after beginning to feel slightly better on it.

It is now day 8 on the 10mg. The brain zaps stopped after 3 days and I was actually able to walk unaided and the ground stopped moving underneath me which was a relief. I am now getting around 5 hours sleep a night, the night sweats have almost stopped and my nightmares are not so frequent. I am getting periods of time where the tinitus is much quieter although it is still constant. My migraines are much less and although i have jelly legs and feel weak as a kitten I do feel so much better sometimes even pretty good for windows that last a good few hours at a time and the waves are less intense and much less terrifying.  

I am tempted when the waves come to just go right back up to the 12.5mg which the hospital have recommended but I am for the time being trying to stay strong. I don't want to go back up as i feel that all this will have been for nothing if I do.

I can honestly say this has been and is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me and I am not going to lie, I think if things do ever get back to normal I an going to be very very afraid to make the first taper....

I think i will be going down a mg at a time despite the gp's plan for halving every two weeks! I truly am determined to get this ugly monster out of my system forever but sadly I think it is going to take a lot longer than i first anticipated...

I am so glad I found this site and so grateful for your support especially you "Brassmonkey". The one glint of light that shone in my very very darkest night. 

Thank you

I will keep posting as this goes on and hopefully eventually come out of the other side victorious. Do not think that the laptop is actually great tho as if I spend more that 30 mins or so in one sitting my brain starts to judder slightly and the tingling in my body increases?!

xxxxx

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

Link to comment

oops miss out calitheblod there! sorry big than you to you for your support too xxx

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • Moderator

Hi Tigger--  I'm so sorry to hear about your ordeal, I can't imagine how scared you were.  Think of it this way, you made it through it, the rest will be a piece of cake.  Don't be in a rush to start a taper, you need to get good and stable first.  We have very good success with micro tapers especially for people who are extra sensitive. If you get a chance take a look at threads by Songbird and Chia they've done really well with them.  Rest and relax the best you can.

 

((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • Administrator

How fortunate that the emergency room staff recognized withdrawal syndrome. Yes, reinstatement is appropriate.

 

Please read the links Brassmonkey gave you above regarding tapering.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Wow Tigger so glad you are feeling better.

No one can imagine what this is like unless they experience it.

 

And what great resolve to say NO to the diazepam.

 

Long story short they said they think I have a very bad case of discontinuation syndrome from stopping the Amitriptyline suddenly. It is apparently unusual  for someone on such a low dose but that some people are more sensitive to the discontinuation that others.

 

Wow what a pleasant surprise they saw you had a case  of discontinuation syndrome or  withdrawal nightmare.

I disagree that you were taking a low dose.

Look how slow Brass and Songbird are going an they are only on 1-3 mg ..now you can understand why they are going so slow. To avoid triggering a nightmare. The doctors are very misled if they think the dose is 'too small' . Going very slow is the best way to put a stop to the 'revolving door'.

This 'more sensitive ' than others is just victim blaming ...the problem is you not the drug ...dont fall for it. After years of exposure some have found the tricyclics 'extremely' difficult to stop.

 

I can honestly say this has been and is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me and I am not going to lie,

Yep you have a whole site with 5000 odd people who would agree with you and many more being added to the choir daily.

 

I think if things do ever get back to normal I an going to be very very afraid to make the first taper....

This is why so many stay on these drugs...but dont despair if you go slow you can do it.

 

I think i will be going down a mg at a time

Please be aware rec is 10% of previous dose per month if and only if stable ...this means the progressive drops get smaller in size less than  'a mg' will kick in on the second drop when dropping from 10.

It may be wise to start at 5% imo

 

despite the gp's plan for halving every two weeks!

This information is very wrong. And sadly revealing a lack of knowledge ..

sadly I think it is going to take a lot longer than i first anticipated...

No worries slow and steady is the way to go

 

As well as the great links given to you above you would find Whitakers 2010 book 'Anatomy of an epidemic very informative' You could no doubt get it from your local library.

I have just finished it ...it is gold.

 

Glad you are feeling better.

 

 

.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment

Thank you for all the replies and the link/book suggestions I am so grateful to you all for taking the time to help and support me.

I will be doing a whole lot more reading and researching. It is such a massive comfort to know that I am not alone and not the only person going through this hell. I am still coming to terms with the fact that such a tiny dose of this drug can cause so much devastation! :o  

I think this site is a God send to anyone going through this type of nightmare and I am so glad I found it.

Thank you again to you all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi again to all

just checking in with an update and a question.

I am still taking the 10mg Amitriptyline that I reinstated.

I am defiantly not out of the woods by a long chalk i think, but there have been some improvements and I am actually having days where I can leave the house and even been to the supermarket which is something I never thought I would be able to do a month ago!

My anxiety attacks have lessened. I do still have them on a daily basis but they don't last the whole day now and sometimes only last a few minutes and thank goodness the crying has subsided to occasional now rather than constant.

My dizziness has subsided massively and most days i am not dizzy at all.

The tinnitus is quieter now but very much still there and I am seeing a ENT specialist who is running more tests.

I am still having night sweats most nights but usually only one or two.

My sleep is still pretty awful but I have gone from waking every hour to sometimes sleeping a whole four hours in a block. I am currently trying out valerian root and passion flower and have been taking them for 3 nights now but so far no real improvement. I did read it can take a while for it to work so I will keep taking it for another few days to see if anything happens. I did buy melatonin but then googled it and freaked myself out of trying it!

I am still getting pins and needles and numbness in my hands a little and in my feet a lot but my GP says it is a physical symptom of anxiety.

The worse symptom I have still which my GP does not seem to have an answer for is a vibration in my head and body. It feels like some one has put a mobile phone into my brain and keeps switching it onto vibrate. It is super scary and seems to get much worse when I am tired in the evenings. when `I wake in the night and mornings when I have the least sleep.

Does anyone else have this or know anything about it? I have it constantly when i was also having the brain zaps and was really ill after the cold turkey experience. It is not constant now but still really frightens me when it comes on.

Hope you are all feeling good.

big ((( hugs ))) x

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

Link to comment

So glad you are feeling better. What a relief that must be.

 

...my GP says it is a physical symptom of anxiety.

gee these people are in total denial the word 'withdrawal'  doesnt seem to exist in their vocab.

 

Im sure the head vibrations will settle down as you stabilize.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Administrator

Good to hear you're doing better, tigger.

 

The tingling sensations are a withdrawal symptom called paresthisia. It can take many forms. The internal vibration is something many people have reported as a withdrawal symptom, see our Symptoms and Self-care forum  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/8-symptoms-and-self-care/

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/
 

Also see our topic on melatonin in Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thank you so much for the support and the links Im checking them out as we speak

xxxx

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

Link to comment
  • 10 months later...

Hey to all

it has been a long time since i posted here at least 6mths ago!

I actually remembered I was a member of this site after a trip to my neurosurgeon today who is trying to persuade me to take cipralex for cronic pain syndrome and i was trying to explain the nightmare I had tapering off Amitriptyline! However the psychiatrist who helped me with the last stage of the taper is also agreeing with the surgeon that he thinks cipralex is a good idea and much easier to come off! ironic as he saw the mess I was in from discontinuation..

 

Anyway I digress, though I should update on how I got on since my last post.

 

Re taper from Amitryptiline..

After around 2 months since the reintro of 10mg my symptoms were at a level that I felt I could begin to taper again and It was a long long road.

I tapered down dropping 1 or 2mg each time and each time i went through the same withdrawal symptoms although not as intense as The cold turkey! .

I handled it by waiting for the withdrawal symptoms to subside then dropped again. sometimes it took a few weeks sometimes longer. I finally got down to 2mg and was stuck for a long time. 

However I eventually got help from a psychiatrist who stopped the 2mg and gave me a week of 5mg diazapam to get me through and I was finally free from the amitriptyline.

It is now around 4mths since my last dose of Amitriptyline and I do still have vibrating in my head when I am anxious or stressed but only slightly and i can live with it.

sofor anyone out there going through this, hang on in.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, I am living,breathing,functioning proof!

huzzah  :D

xxxxxxxx

Edited by ChessieCat
Increased font size

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

I would be very wary of taking any psychiatric drugs.

 

Have you considered acupuncture?  Just make sure that it isn't detoxing or stimulating.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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my neurosurgeon today who is trying to persuade me to take cipralex for cronic pain syndrome and i was trying to explain the nightmare I had tapering off Amitriptyline! However the psychiatrist who helped me with the last stage of the taper is also agreeing with the surgeon that he thinks cipralex is a good idea and much easier to come off!

Wow cipralex is also called lexapro/ escitalopram. 

Its an ssri and none of the ssris are easy to get off.

They are pushing off-label use.

After already having a cns exposed to psych drugs and having broken free...i would not touch another ever again.

 

Can you find non drug means to help with the pain?

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Thanks for coming back to let us know how tapering from amitriptyline went for you.  Would you add your dose and start date for diazepam to your signature? 

 

Diazepam, also known as Valium, is a benzodiazepine drug. If/when you want to stop, this type of drug also requires careful tapering.  Before the starting that taper, please read the "pinned" topics at the top in our Members-only forum.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Hi all

The cipralex are totally binned, I am sooooo not going to go there, I did consider it for a few hours but after reading my story back to myself it told me everything I needed to know about these horrific drugs. funny how fast you forget huh.

The sad thing is my OH has been taking them for chronic pain and PTSD for almost a year now and is doing so well compared to how he was before. He was in a really bad place before and is a different person now, much more his old self but we row over my worries for him ever trying to get off them one day....

@scallywag RE: The diazepam wasn't something I had to taper off it was a a weeks prescription of 5mg tablets that he gave me to take during the worse "waves" during the days after I quit the last 2mg of the Amityptiline.

I literally took them during the worse times which happened a few times during the first two days cold turkey of the 2mg after that I felt ok to cope on my own steam. 

I continue to research natural alternatives to help me with my chronic pain and anxiety.

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

Link to comment

The sad thing is my OH has been taking them for chronic pain and PTSD for almost a year now and is doing so well compared to how he was before. He was in a really bad place before and is a different person now, much more his old self but we row over my worries for him ever trying to get off them one day....

 

Tigger. The unfortunate thing is that this is often temporary. It's only a matter of time before it possibly catches up .

 

It's good to hear that you are looking to natural alternatives.

Drug free ? How are you feeling ?

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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The sad thing is my OH has been taking them for chronic pain and PTSD for almost a year now and is doing so well compared to how he was before. He was in a really bad place before and is a different person now, much more his old self but we row over my worries for him ever trying to get off them one day....

 

Tigger. The unfortunate thing is that this is often temporary. It's only a matter of time before it possibly catches up .

 

It's good to hear that you are looking to natural alternatives.

Drug free ? How are you feeling ?

 

 

I know I have done so much reading h into anti depressants since getting so ill from discontinuation that i am truly terrified for him and what he may have to go through but have had to back off as it is creating a huge wedge between us and I can totally understand why he wants to carry on taking them. At one point he was so low he was having regular suisidal thoughts he was suffering so bad. They are working so well for him and unlike me he has never been through the hell of trying to get off them. He was working overseas when I went through the worse and the psychiatrist and neurosurgeon(we have the same ones!) both say if I had tapered from day one it never would have happened to me. I therefore have little influence  when giving my opinions against the "professionals" ones.  arghhhhh.

 

As for me, drug free meaning amitriptyline and prescriptions (well except from the hrt)  it is a massive relief to be finally free,  but as I said I do still have some anxiety attacks, occasional brain vibrating and periods of insomnia but they are occasional rather than every day occurrences now.  Im considering  L - tryptophan as a natural solution for my anxiety, sleep problems etc but not really sure as there are so many conflicting things written about it on the internet, for now I am just bumbling along and embracing the good days. [(no idea why my font has suddenly gone massive?! deffo not intended and I can't seem to change it back?!) - fixed by CC]

Edited by ChessieCat
Cut & pasted post from quoted post and resized font

was taking 25mg amiltyptiline for 3 years for back pain and sleep. 

cut down the amiltriptyline to 12.5mg with no problems a year ago.

I have Graves disease( current meds for this are for block and replace therapy carbimazole and levothyroxine)

peri menopause,( current meds for this are prempac-c hrt)    

quit the Amityptilne cold turkey as it no longer seemed to be helping me asleep anymore or relieve my back pain. fine for the first week then began to have a few of the discontiuation symptoms.

Migraine- constant high pitched tinnitus - Vertigo - Nausea, - Anxiety attacks - limbs feel like lead to lift - Hand and feet tingling,Muscle twitches. strange vibrating inside my brain which were terrifying .

second week into cold turkey  the symptoms intensified massively and rendered me bed bound and crying constantly, totally unable to string a sentence together,reintroduced 5mg amitriptyline but no symptom relief. After a trip to ER with symptoms reintroduced 10mg amitriptyline after 8 days symptoms are beginning to slowly subside.

once stable tapered from 10mg to 2mg every mth or so. Final taper from 2mg to zero was done cold turkey (almost) used diazapam for 2 days to help me through the first waves.

now drug free at last. Hang on in there the light at the end of the tunnel is reachable......

 

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  • 2 years later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi @tigger I know it's been awhile since you're last update. Just wanted to let you know that your post has been encouraging to me as I try to come off of a "low dose" of Amitriptyline myself. How are you doing these days?

 

Do you remember how long it took you to stabilize once you reinstated to 10 mg?

 

I'm planning to taper very slowly, sticking to the 10% rule here. Did you get your smaller doses from a compounding pharmacy? Any tips for me?

Apr 2018: Began 10 mg Amitriptyline (for headaches & insomnia from concussion).

Jul - Aug 2018: Fast taper to 5 mg and then 2.5 mg (too fast, hellish withdrawal at 2.5 mg). Sept 2018: Reinstated 10 mg (many symptoms improved). Oct 2018 - Apr 2019: Updosed & stabilized on 11 mg (2 waves at 3 and 5 months post-withdrawal). Apr 2019 - Apr 2020: Tapered 0.5-0.25 mg per month using compounded pills: 11 mg —> 6 mg. (2 waves at 12 and 16 months post-withdrawal.) Apr 2020 - present: Switched to a liquid taper at rate of 0.1 mg per month. Currently: 1.1 mg. No more waves. 

 

Supplements: Omega-3 fish oil, Vit B12, coenzyme Q10, Hawthorn extract (for tachycardia) Tools for insomnia/waves (as needed): Epsom salt foot soaks, 0.5 mg Melatonin, quality time, waves WILL PASS. Lifestyle: Eat real foods, mostly plants; sunlight, walking, yoga; symptom tracking on adapted Glenmullen chart.

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to tigger: Amitriptyline withdrawal hell

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